With Iran so much in the news, I find even my peripheral connection to the country evokes interest. Iran is the land of my distant ancestry, Parsis being followers of the prophet Zarathustra, who preached a religion far older than Judaism, Christianity or Islam. They see themselves as inheritors of the glorious traditions of two great ancient Persian empires, the Achaemenid (550-330 BCE) and the Sassanid (224-651 CE). The ruins of Persepolis are a reminder of the once-mighty Persian empire founded by Cyrus the Great.

But Persia’s past has really very little to do with Iran’s present.  India and Persia were two ancient civilisations with a deep connection and similar roots. Their early languages, Vedic Sanskrit and Avestan, are sister tongues with many common words, sometimes with opposite meanings. Their hoary religions have comparable practices, including the deification of fire. On a trip to Iran in 2005, I found commonality between the two countries even today. Similar words in our vocabularies, magical mosques and minarets that inspired our Mughal monuments. It was striking........

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